Being there
by Leto
Summary: Mimi and Izzy, the two ten-year-olds with nothing in common, have a conversation.


**Being there**  
by [Leto][1]

"Mmm, I can't sleep," complained Mimi. 

"Yes Mimi," said Matt testily, "we heard you the first six times." 

"Just 'cos YOU can't sleep doesn't mean you should keep the REST of us up," agreed Tai, covering his head with both arms to try to drown out Mimi's whining.

Mimi sulked. "You guys could be more sympathetic." 

"So could you," muttered Joe. 

"Oh, Joe, I didn't know you were awake," said Mimi. 

"Well, I wasn't, but your talking woke me." 

"Mmmgrh," said Sora, half-asleep but sounding irritated nonetheless. 

"Oh, FINE," huffed Mimi, "I'll go talk to someone who bothers to listen to me then!" 

She got up. Tai watched her out of one half-closed eye. "You're going to distract Izzy from guard duty?" 

"Izzy doesn't bother to listen to you either," said Matt. 

"Yeah, well at least he won't be complaining about missing out on sleep," said Mimi. 

"She makes it sound like *we're* the ones being totally unreasonable," muttered Joe. 

"Hmpf! Are you coming, Palmon?" 

"Mmr... ivyyy... I'm gonna... mmmmrhh..." 

"Hmpf." 

Mimi walked off, annoyed. Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed again. It was a - relatively - peaceful night in the digital world. Izzy was keeping his watch from the branches of a nearby tree. Mimi wasn't big on tree climbing but any tree that a short kid like Izzy could climb, surely she could get up. She awkwardly made her way up and flopped down on a branch beside Tentomon. 

"Hi, Mimi," said Tentomon drowsily, "what was that talking I heard back there?" 

"Oh, nothing," said Mimi evasively, and leaned over Izzy's shoulder to look at the computer screen in front of him. She wrinkled up her nose. 

"That doesn't make one single scrap of sense to me," she complained, "and aren't you supposed to be keeping watch, not hacking away at your computer again?" 

Izzy rolled his eyes. "I AM keeping watch, and Tento's helping. I've been trying to crack the code of the digital world." 

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" 

Izzy's black eyes gleamed, and he spoke with some satisfaction and his curious enthusiasm. "Just imagine, Mimi! Everything in this world is made up of digital data. If I could figure out how to manipulate that, there's incredible potential for alterations to our environment." 

"In English?" 

He sweatdropped and tried to imitate Mimi. "I'm trying to, like, work out if we can, like, change things in the digital world just like they were, like, computer code." 

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Izzy facefaulted and nearly fell out the tree. "But I have to say that does sound more interesting than most of your boring computer nerd things. Could you configuremejigger a new outfit for me, do you think?" 

Izzy slapped a hand to his forehead. "Mimi, it's not such a frivolous thing as that. I was thinking more along the lines of damaging the code that makes up our enemies, or editing the code in our environment to produce food or water or shelter..." 

"Ooh yes, could you make me a castle? Or a big, New York-style apartment? Or maybe -" 

"Mimi, WILL you be quiet? What's the matter with you anyway? Can't you think of ANYTHING important?" 

She looked surprised and a little hurt at this outburst, but that soon gave way to anger. "Well excuse me for living!" 

"Great comeback," muttered Izzy, "what are you doing still up anyway?" 

"I couldn't sleep," said Mimi. 

"Must have been all that resting you did along our trip today, every two minutes," Izzy couldn't help saying. 

Mimi sniffled. Izzy paid no attention at all, even when she added a little sob into it. She didn't like people ignoring her, and she didn't get why Izzy was one of the only people whom she couldn't charm. Instead, he turned his attention to his computer, typing more incomprehensible stuff into it. 

"Hey! Pay attention to me!" said Mimi, tapping him on the shoulder. He ignored her and her tapping grew more insistent and more forceful. Izzy very slowly turned his head so that he was glaring at her. 

"Why are you *always* so mean to me?!" demanded Mimi. 

He was a little surprised at the question. He hadn't realised she thought that. He just couldn't be bothered hiding his impatience with her. 

"I'm not being mean!" said Izzy, "we just have nothing in common, it's perfectly reasonable that we wouldn't get along." 

"Well, I don't agree!" snapped Mimi, "we have plenty in common! We're both digidestined, we both have digivices and crests and Digimon, we... umm... we... huh. Anyway, you should be able to get along with people whether you have stuff in common with them or not!" 

Izzy was slow to reply. "You really believe that?" 

She nodded. "Mm! Totally!" Her crest glittered, a slight flash of green. 

"Woah, prodigious!" exclaimed Izzy, and made a grab at her chest. Mimi yelped and jumped backwards. 

"WATCH THOSE HANDS!" she shouted. 

He sweatdropped. "Don't misunderstand... your crest, it was glowing!" 

"Really?" She pulled out her crest and looked at it curiously. "Hmm, doesn't seem to be doing anything now." 

"Wow," said Izzy, and she let him take it from her. He looked at it from every angle, turning it over in his hands. "None of us have figured out how to use our crests yet. There must be some secret to them... Mimi, may I borrow this?" 

Mimi folded her arms. "Ohh, the only time you take any interest in me is when you want to find something out! Is solving problems the only thing you ever think about?!" 

"'Take any interest in you'?" repeated Izzy, "you mean you want me to be in love with you?" 

Mimi got a large sweatdrop and shrieked, "NO I DID NOT MEAN THAT!!!!" 

A shout came from nearby - Tai - "Mimiii!! SHUT! UP!" 

"I second that!" shouted Matt. 

"Hmpf," said Mimi, for the umpteenth time that day, "anyway Izzy, you didn't answer my question. Is solving problems the only thing you ever think about?!" 

"Of course not," he said quietly, sounding testy, as though perhaps she had touched a raw nerve, "I do want to do what's best for the team, you know." 

"If that's so, then why d'you always bury yourself behind that computer?" 

Izzy thought for a moment as though trying to work out how to reply. "Well, I'm not... as strong as some of the others. I was hoping I could be useful by solving the puzzles of the digital world... This is the only thing I'm good at. Don't you ever feel like that? That you're not strong enough?" 

"Well... maybe sometimes," conceded Mimi, "I guess maybe your computer dorkiness might come in useful some time." 

"Thanks Mimi," muttered Izzy. 

The two sat in silence for a moment. Izzy supposed she was getting tired; she looked fairly quiet and peaceful for once. After a moment she reached over and plucked her crest out of Izzy's hand. 

"It's funny," she said dreamily, "I feel stronger when I have this... I was happy when you said it glowed... sometimes... I'd like to be stronger too." 

Izzy smiled slightly. "I guess that's at least one more thing we have in common." 

They sat in silence for another moment. 

"You know, Izzy," said Mimi finally, "since you and me are the same age..." 

"You and *I*," corrected Izzy pedantically. Mimi rolled her eyes. 

"Can't you ever take me seriously?" she snapped, "I was trying to... say something I meant." 

"Sorry," he said, "I'm all ears." 

"Well, I thought... since you and me are the same age... we should be friends." 

"I thought we were friends already, Mimi." 

"I didn't think so. You're always telling me not to say stupid things, and making rude comments." 

"And you're always calling me a computer nerd and insulting my strong point." 

"Ahah... well, err, let's forget that part... eheh. I don't like having people not like me!" 

"Must be quite a novelty, huh," said Izzy. 

"Huh? Is that sarcasm?" 

"Never mind... well, I'm... I guess I'm glad you came up here, I never realised you had a brain in your head before." 

"And just what is THAT supposed to mean Izzy?! Be nice!" 

"Sorry... ahh, Mimi, listen." 

"Mmm?" 

Izzy clicked his laptop shut, and the glow from its screen faded. Darkness made it easier for him to talk from the heart. 

"Well, I just wanted to say that, despite everything... you can trust me with your life. Okay?" 

"Of course... 

Another pause.

"Hey Izzy, did you ever wish you had a guardian angel, like TK?" 

"Angemon? No, not really. Patamon finds it difficult to digivolve and in that respect I must say I really prefer -" 

"I didn't mean that, I meant that he has a big brother to look out for him. Didn't you ever wish you had someone like that?" 

"I wonder... a big brother... I might have one." 

"Izzy?" 

"Huh? Oh, uh, never mind. Big brothers, yes... Tentomon looks out for me." 

"Will you be my big brother?" 

Izzy almost laughed. "Mimi, you're taller than I am! And when's your birthday?" 

"October 4," she said. 

"You're older than me too," he said. 

"But even if you're a grouch... I feel safe with you." 

Izzy wanted to see the expression on her face, and was about to open his laptop again but a different light suddenly began to shine, a soft green light, shining on her face. 

"Your crest again," he said, amazed. 

"Sincerity," she said suddenly. 

"What do you mean, 'sincerity'?" 

"That's the word that feels right. When I feel sincere, the warm feeling spreads to the crest." 

"Very curious," said Izzy, "could it be that our crests respond to our emotions? It's not scientifically possible..." 

"Bleagh," said Mimi, "there's more to life than science. It's not scientifically possible to get transported into another world full of monsters, but we did it, didn't we? And -" 

"Actually," interrupted Izzy, "if you take a look at some of these calculations I've been doing, it might very well BE scientifically feasible that we entered this world the way we did. See, the -" 

"Don't say another word," squeaked Mimi, "I don't understand one syllable of your weird techno-babble!" 

"No curiousity at all," sighed Izzy. 

"That stuff is boring." 

"But it's so fascinating, Mimi. Can't you imagine the thrill of solving complex mathematical -" 

"Not another word! 'Thrill' and 'mathematical' don't belong in the same sentence!" 

Izzy sighed and checked his watch. Five more minutes until the end of his night watch shift. 

"I think Tentomon's asleep." 

"Really, how can you tell? His eyes don't, like, *close*." 

"Well, he'd usually be talking our ears off..." 

"Mm, good point." 

"And he's making that buzzing sound, I think it's his way of snoring." 

Mimi giggled. "I wonder if he's dreaming. Maybe in his dreams, he's in our world." 

"Where do you come up with these weird comments..." 

"See, no matter how smart you are other people can still think of things that you wouldn't think of yourself!" 

"...you know Mimi, if it weren't you who said it, I'd say that was quite profound." 

"Hmpf." 

"HEY, LOVEBIRDS!" 

The two jumped at the sound of a shout from below the tree. Tentomon was startled into wakefulness. 

"Huh? Who? What? When? Where? And whether? Hang on, is that right? I didn't fall asleep on guard duty!" 

Izzy grinned. "Don't worry pal, go back to sleep." 

Tentomon grumbled and did so, with some difficulty as Mimi was now shouting at Tai. 

"Tai, what's the big idea scaring us like that? And LOVEBIRDS?! I wouldn't go out with Izzy if he were the last guy on Earth, well, I'd still pick him over YOU maybe but you are just so sufferably obnoxious making your STUPID little comments like that and -" 

"Sorry Mimi," said Tai, grinning, "I just came to relieve Izzy from guard duty. But it seems like you were doing a pretty good job of that yourse - aahfc!" 

Tai was silenced as he was hit in the head with a Tentomon. Although he wasn't silenced for very long. 

"AAAAH-OW!! What's the big idea?!" screeched Tai. 

"TAAAAAAAI SHUUUUUUT UUUUUUUUUP!" shouted all the other kids and Digimon in unison from where they were trying to sleep. 

"Tentomon, are you okay?" called Izzy, with some concern, and turned to Mimi, "why'd you throw Tentomon at him?!" 

"Well, I wanted to REALLY HURT HIM and I thought you'd probably kill me if I tried to throw your computer." 

Izzy sweatdropped and jumped down from the tree. Mimi tried a more dignified descent, ended up getting stuck in the branches and fell in the dirt. 

Tai rubbed his head and glared. "See you in the morning. We may have to sleep in late because of Mimi keeping us all awake." 

Mimi punched him on the arm and stalked off with her nose in the air before he could retaliate. 

"Don't... even... bother arguing with her," muttered Izzy, also walking back to the group, carrying a half-conscious Tentomon. 

The two 10-year-olds walked into the clearing where the others were mostly awake. 

"Mimi's back," mumbled Sora. 

"Greeeat," said Joe sarcastically. 

"Mimi, if you say one word we'll throw you in the pond," said Matt. 

Mimi was about to counter this when she decided that the possibility that Matt might be serious wasn't worth ruining her nice dress with the muddy pond water. 

Izzy set Tentomon on the ground next to Biyomon and curled up on the ground in the grass. 

"Goodnight, 'sis'," he said quietly. 

She didn't say anything, but he thought he could see, briefly in the darkness, a soft green light. 

   [1]: mailto:leto@nysa.cx



End file.
